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I yawn as she moves to the sink to wash dishes, the gold highlights in her brown hair glinting in the early morning sunlight streaming through the window over the sink.
She’s been up for hours already and I’m still groggy, trying to clear the fog of sleep from my mind. If I didn’t want these few morning minutes with my sister, I’d still be in bed.
I’ll probably go back there after she leaves for work at the bookstore where she sells coffee and her baked goods.
We’re planning to offer cooking classes here at the farm once we can afford to build another small house with a professional grade kitchen on the property. Probably not until we get the rest of our inheritance from Dad.
“Good morning.” Clover walks into the kitchen, already in her workout leggings and a t-shirt with the name of her and Asher’s gym emblazoned across the front. Her dark hair is up in a high ponytail and her eyes are bright. She’s probably already been out for a run.
“Good morning.” I give her a small wave and smile. To my credit, the smile doesn’t falter when Asher walks in behind her. The two of them are always together and, as nice as the guy is, I want time with my sister without her arm candy around.
Goldy comes into the kitchen from the other direction. She’s still in her pajamas, a true sign she’s gotten more comfortable around us, since we never used to see her unless she was dressed in slacks and a blouse, her face fully made up. This morning, even her fine, blond hair is mussed, and she yawns widely as she walks in.
She stops when she sees me at the table.
“Honey. There you are. I was worried about you.”
Cell service at Mac’s house is non-existent and, when I got back to civilization, I’d found several missed texts and calls from Goldy. It’d been way too late to call her back, but it warmed my heart that she was worried about me.
Luckily, I have a somewhat believable story prepared. “I was at Lila’s for a movie night with some of her friends and I had my phone turned off.”
Her shoulders drop with relief. “You’re free to come and go as you please, of course, but you’re usually home, so when you weren’t on the schedule to work last night, I got worried.” She gestures at the dry erase board behind her where we all put our schedules each week.
“We were actually all home last night and hoping we could practice for that gig in Vance Vale.” Clover takes a seat at the table with coffee, a banana, and a protein bar.
I shouldn’t have stayed at Mac’s house. Stopping the make-out session clearly wasn’t good enough, and he’s already pulling me away from my sisters. “Maybe we can practice tonight. I’m working the day shift.”
“I can’t tonight.” Dani glances at me over her shoulder as she transfers muffins from a cooling rack to a plastic container. “I’m catering a baby shower.”
“And Max has a game tonight.” Goldy pulls a mug from a cabinet with another yawn. “We’ll find another night.”
I nod, even though experience and recent history make it unlikely we will ever coordinate our schedules. I need to find a way to be home more often and I need a better excuse for when I’m not home and not on shift at the diner.
Already, it’s going to be another four days before Mac and I can do anymore treasure hunting.
I’ve been up all night thinking about it and I don’t see any other option. There aren’t enough hours in the day and the only solution is to quit my job at the diner. It’s too bad I can’t take a ‘sabbatical’ like Mac.
I’ve got some money in savings that should get me by until we find the treasure, and it won’t be hard to find another serving job in this town if I need to later this summer.
It will mean lying to my sisters - telling them I’m working at the diner when I’m treasure hunting - but they never eat at the diner and me leaving my job is hardly gossip-worthy news in this town.
I lower my head to eat my oatmeal, so they don’t see my sad face as they chat and laugh around me. I love my job and enjoy the interaction with people all day, but I have to give it up. This is about bringing my family back together.
Dani packages all her baked goods up in her different containers while I finish my breakfast. After I’ve put my dishes in the sink, I help her carry them out to her car.
“Thanks,” she says, once she’s all set to go. “I’m sorry to leave all the farm work on you this morning.”
“It’s not a problem. I enjoy it.” I really do. I love the animals.
She sighs. “I wish we didn’t have to work and could spend all day on the farm every day.”
“We’ll get there.” Guilt pings me, but I suppress it. “I think a couple of volunteers are coming from the college to help out today and I don’t need to be at the diner until eleven.”
“That’s good. I’ll take care of everything that needs to be done tonight.”
“Maybe we can do it together if I’m home early enough. We could hang out afterwards, maybe play a few hands of cards?”
She nods, but her gaze is distant. “That might work. I think Grant has plans tonight.”
